Nutraceutical refers to foods claimed to have a medicinal effect on human health. The American Diabetes Association says individuals at risk of developing diabetes can make changes in their diet and increse their level of physical activity to reduce their risk. The following mentions a few foods and supplements that are your friends in the fight against diabetes.

You've probably heard a million times the benefit of soluble fiber. It lends a big helping hand by slowing carbohydrate absorption. Easy sources of soluble fiber include: oat bran, nuts, barley, flax seed, fruits like oranges and apples, and vegetables like carrots. Another nutritional gem is coffee! Well, more specifically chlorogenic acid, the antioxidant found in coffee. It slows the release of glucose into the bloodstream after a meal. Caffeine counteracts this effect, so diabetics are better off drinking decaf. Barley malt has similar blood glucose lowering effects as metformin, without the side effects. Some say barley malt is to beer as grapes are to wine. Barley malt extract (available in powder and liquid forms) is also used medicinally as a bulking agent to promote bowel regularity.

Other honorable mentions include: magnesium, chromium piccolinate, conjugated linoleic acid, bitter melon and our beloved cinnamon. Nutraceuticals would likely have substantial diabetes-preventive efficacy, and presumably could be marketed legally as aids to good glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity.

I know you've always wondered what a diabetes drug might do to a nondiabetic. Riddle solved for this drug- nothing. Dia-B Tech Limited, a Melbourne-based biotech, released results from a medical trial for a new treatment for type 2 diabetes that show it is safe for use in humans without diabetes.

The drug makes a patient's own insulin work better. The insulin sensitizing factor known as compound ISF402 attaches itself to insulin and helps break it down to a more useable form This is a great concept - and one that is fashioned fully in a bitter melon. However, let's give the Aussie biotech the spotlight. Bitter melon is not for the faint of heart - it has teeth!

The study included 24 healthy male volunteers given the treatment and it showed no adverse health effects. If it did not have any effect on healthy individuals - why call it a drug? Call it gum or something mundane. They may have to come up with a whole new category of drug that has no influence in healthy individuals. Maybe they should call it a biologically indifferent agent. Sounds like it still qualifies for a copay, right?

The company now plans to check the treatment's safety on 16 volunteers with type 2 diabetes. The company expects the safety trials to be completed mid-year and then plans to begin a larger trial to find out if the treatment works.

Those of us who don't have a metabolism like Sea biscuit might fall for the too good to be true ads every time. This time the object of my curiosity is Diamaxol. The product was formerly called Diabeticine, but the FDA didn't like the hint of medicine in the name, so the manufacturers changed it.

The product supposedly reduces blood sugar levels, eliminates (strong word) insulin resistance, and normalizes insulin production. A partial list of Diamaxol ingredients include: Banaba, Guggle (Guggul), Bitter Melon, Licorice extract, Cinnamon herb powder, Gymnema Sylvestre, Yarrow, Cayenne, Juniper Berries, Huckleberry, and Vanadyl Sulfate How exactly does Diamaxol claim to work it's magic? It's not magic - it's simply science. The magic behind the formula is actually the miraculous human body doing its job. Diamaxol is more like the stage crew for David Copperfield, rather than the show itself.

Diamaxol interferes with glucose absorption and prevents the stimulation of glucose from the liver. This effectively reduces blood sugar levels. It also eliminates insulin resistance by repairing cell receptors to better handle insulin. Scientists agree, insulin resistance is one of the leading causes of type 2 diabetes. The normalization of insulin production is restored (in type 2) and replaced (in type 1) by an organic compound. Curiously enough, banaba is at the top of the list of ingredients. Banaba contains corosolic acid, which activates the transport of glucose across cell membranes, resulting in blood sugar reductions. It has been used in the Philippines for years to treat diabetes. Because the FDA has approved Diamaxol as a supplement, at least we know that it can't hurt. Sounds interesting, perhaps worth looking into - but is it worth the $75 to $100 a bottle?